Bayer filed for stem cell patent before Kyoto Univ. team

TOKYO, Jan. 4 Kyodo -
German chemical giant Bayer AG applied for a patent in Japan on June 15, 2007,
for a technique to generate induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells, from
human cells, according to Patent Office data released by Sunday.
The application was submitted around three months before a Japanese team led by
Kyoto University professor Shinya Yamanaka announced the successful generation
of iPS cells from human cells.
The data showed that Bayer submitted patent applications for more than one
method, in addition to the technique employed by the Kyoto University team.
If the patents are granted to Bayer, patent rights will become complicated and
could affect the Japanese government's policy to promote iPS cell studies,
observers said.
In June 2006, the Kyoto University team said it succeeded in generating iPS
cells, which have the potential to grow into any type of body tissue, from
somatic cells in mice without using ova.
==Kyodo